Right at the entrance of Tsuruga-jo, the castle from Aizu-Wakamatsu, it is prominently displayed its mascot: called Oshirobo-kun, the mascot is the creation of Hiroshi Sasagawa, a mangaka born here and known for the “Time Bokan” anime series.

Because the Tsuruga-jo is the only Japanese castle with a red roof, this cute, mustached mascot is easily identifiable…